The Future is Coming
by Cloud no Miko
Summary: Story is set after X4. Zero's dark past threatens to engulf his life. X worries what he has to do to Zero should the worst happen. It's my first fic. Inaccurcies galore, crazy crossovers with original series, but for nostalgia sake... I still love it.
1. Chapter 1

Megaman Fan Works: Fan Fiction 

**Chapter 1**  
To Chapter **[1]** [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

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**Forward:**   
  
This is a story of Mega Man X set to the time right after the ending of the game Mega Man X4 (THE best game on Playstation...second to Final Fantasy VII... but we won't get into that.) A few scenes (such as this first scene) are adaptations of what happened in the actual Mega Man X games. Mainly, X and X4... When I wrote this, I had only played those. So here is the spoiler alert! If you have not played X4, the endings are contained in this story! For those of you who have played X4, you know where the title comes from. This story kind of ties together what happened, and remains faithful to the game series. (Okay, except the part about Protoman and all the "cross over" characters from the original series, and the way I used BOTH endings of the X4 games in the story...) I originally wrote this more than six years ago. The original version has appeared in several other websites under the same title. Since it's been so long, I've decided to edit the story slightly to correct original grammer mistakes and improve the story a bit. Unfortunately, this will probably bring about more typos. Anyway, enjoy!   
  
**The Future is Coming**   
  
Man's biggest card against the Mavericks, the Final Weapon, silently orbited around Earth. The weapon was shaped like a blooming flower, contrasting from its intended use for destruction.   
  
All seemed well, except for a small escape pod leaving from Final Weapon's docking pad. Inside was Zero, head of the Special #0 Class Unit of the Maverick Hunters. Seconds after the pod sped away, Final Weapon exploded with a blinding flash. After waiting for the light to die down, Zero turned back and stared at the wreck of Final Weapon. It has been reduced to scrap metal drifting in space.   
  
Zero recalled the events of the last few days, of how Sigma tricked the Repliforce into fighting the Maverick Hunters. How Sigma manipulated the General into thinking that humans were the real enemy. How Zero had to kill Iris, the Colonel, and other innocent reploids just to stop Sigma's plan to destroy Earth with Final Weapon. Zero felt something boiling in his circuits as he thought of all Sigma did.   
  
His hot anger quickly turned to ice when he thought about his most disturbing discovery during this mission. His true destiny was to destroy Mega Man X, the Hunter whom he considered to be his best friend.   
  
"So..." Zero mumbled as he clenched his fists, "This is what happened to me. My creator was Dr. Wily, and I was programmed to kill X. This is my fate; I couldn't save anyone after all! Why?!" Zero slammed the instrument panel with his fists and shut his eyes, hoping to wake up from this nightmare. His fists shook as he clenched them tighter. Why must he destroy his friends? Why must he kill Mega Man X, the one who he treats as his own brother?   
  
"Because you are my creation, Zero. My precious creation. A final revenge on X." Zero recognized the voice in his head. It was Dr. Wily. Why doesn't he ever shut up?   
  
"I can't kill X. I won't." Was Zero's fierce reply.   
  
The voice was gone, but the sickening feeling was still jabbing at him. He can't help but believe that one day he would turn against the Maverick Hunters, turn against Dr. Cain and ultimately...kill X.   
  
Zero opened his eyes again, and plotted a course back to Earth. As the escape pod's engines hummed, Zero fell into a deeper depression.   
  
"Do we reploids all turn out to be Mavericks after all?"   
  
There was no answer.   
  
***********************************************************   
  
On the other side of the wrecked Final Weapon was a second escape pod. Cyber Peacock winced as the pod shuddered, aggravating the injury that Zero gave him during this last battle.   
  
"That damned Maverick Hunter and Mega Man X caused all of us lots of trouble." He thought as he managed the pod's controls. "They destroyed the entire Maverick unit aboard Final Weapon, foiled Sigma's plan to destroy Earth and gave me this ugly wound." Cyber Peacock continued to curse the Hunters as the pod flew. He had managed, barely, to get out of Final Weapon before the entire thing collapsed on itself. The others were not so lucky.   
  
"I am going to personally take care of that Zero!" He declared. Cyber Peacock looked back at the passenger seat, where the tattered Sigma laid. Sigma was in bad shape. Several sword scars were visible on his armor, with the inside circuits sizzling. Zero had given Sigma a good beating before he left Final Weapon, so Cyber Peacock had to carry his master all the way to the escape pod.   
  
In any case, Sigma can be revived, that was the important part. Even though Sigma was unconscious, he had a smirk fixed on his face. Cyber Peacock wondered what Sigma was thinking. "Could he already have a plan to destroy the Maverick Hunters?"   
  
***********************************************************   
  
Back at the Maverick Hunters HQ, Dr. Cain and another team of doctors continued to work around the clock to fix up everyone's injuries. Zero sat in the hallway and waited for Dr. Cain to finish with the other, more severely injured Hunters. It gave him more time to think about his past, and of what Dr. Wily did to him.   
  
"He is my creator." Zero thought. "But why can't I remember him completely? How come all that I know came from my dreams? Maybe he doesn't really ex-."   
  
"Hey Zero!" Someone called. Zero recognized the voice immediately. He turned to see Mega Man X, walking down the corridor. Zero felt a sudden chill course through his body. At that moment, Zero didn't know what to do.   
  
"You have to kill him." Wily said inside his head.   
  
"No," Zero thought.   
  
"Kill him, when the time is right. Not now, Zero. But when the time is right."   
  
"Hi, X." Zero greeted as X sat down next to him. The Blue Hunter studied his friend for a moment and a look of concern washed over his face. It was just like X to be over concerned about others. There's something different about X. Not that other reploids cannot show compassion, but there is something more to X than all the other reploids. Neither Zero nor Dr. Cain could explain this preternatural quality.   
  
"Zero, what's wrong? You're shaking all over." X frowned as he asked his friend.   
  
Zero didn't realize he was shivering, probably from that strange message. He quickly caught himself and made up an excuse.   
  
"Oh, it's probably one of my balances out of whack after that fight with Sigma. It's nothing." At least momentarily satisfied with the reply, X smiled and patted Zero on the back.   
  
"You'd better tell Dr. Cain that when he checks up on you." X said. "Oh, now that the battle against Sigma is over, the other Hunters and I were thinking of throwing a little celebration party."   
  
"Party?" Zero asked.   
  
"Yeah, I think it's a good idea. Some of the rookies really need time to relax, and from the looks of it-." X pointed to Zero's worn armor. "-It couldn't hurt you either."   
  
"Bah, what the hey, it's okay with me. Just one question."   
  
X stared at Zero blankly.   
  
"Which girls are we going to invite?" Zero gave X his best sly smile. For a moment no one said a word. A second later, both X and Zero laughed. After another couple more minutes of chatting, X remembered some other business he had to take care of, and left Zero again.   
  
"When the time is right." Zero repeated Wily's words, which hung over him like he blade on a guillotine. "Please," Zero thought, "Please don't let the time be now." Zero closed his eyes and clamped his hands together as if in prayer. "Let that future never come." 

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	2. Chapter 2

Megaman Fan Works: Fan Fiction 

**Chapter 2**  
To Chapter [1] **[2]** [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

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Cyber Peacock watched as the other reploids fixed Sigma. Most of their force was wiped out in the last battle with the Maverick Hunters. Cyber Peacock shook his head in disgust. He never ceased to be amazed how quickly and easily Zero and X can take out their troops. An entire army of Mavericks couldn't stand up to either of them alone. Neither looked all that impressive, especially the little blue one. Cyber Peacock shuddered at the thought of X.   
  
Trying to forget recent regretable memories, he studied the stats on the large monitor screen. Repairs of the salvageable Mavericks were going well, and many were being created to replace the ones beyoned repair. If this continued at the current pace, then the Mavericks would again be in full force in less than a week.   
  
"How goes Master Sigma's repairs?" Cyber Peacock barked at one of the attendants.   
  
"Very well, Mister Peacock." The reploid replied. "His condition is stable, we've managed to save all of his memory files and command protocols. We're gathering together the parts to rebuild his damaged body."   
  
Peacock grunted in approval. "How long before we reactivate him?" Peacock asked.   
  
"A week, two weeks tops."   
  
"What?" Peacock stared down the attendant reploid, who cowared behind his clipboard.   
  
"Well, Mister Peacock, sir," The attendant reploid's voiced cracked several times, "Master Sigma was heavily damaged by a light saber. We were lucky to recover all his files. This is the best we can do."   
  
Cyber Peacock nodded in annoyance, and swore that the Hunters would pay for their doings. He didn't know how he would take care of them, since he's no match for either of them. Certainly when Sigma was back online, he would have a brillant plan for revenge.   
  
"But we can activate Master Sigma, he just won't have any motor functions yet. Do you want us to do it?"   
  
"No," Cyber Peacock replied, "Do YOU want to tell him that he's not completely fixed?"   
  
"Uh... no sir."   
  
"Good. Keep working on it."   
  
***********************************************************************   
  
Zero tried to forget about the voice, and his alleged past. Since that disturbing time in the hallway, he hadn't heard Wily's voice again, and hte nightmares have ceased. "Maybe it's because I destroyed Sigma and proved that I am on the Maverick Hunter's side. Whatever it is, I'm just glad it's over." Zero allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.   
  
Zero watched as the other Hunters enjoyed themselves at the party. They were laughing, dancing and chatting away. Zero smiled. "Maybe now that I'm rid of those dreams, I can finally enjoy myself." Zero was hanging out at the window by himself. He usually didn't participate too much in these events. Actually, he usually don't participate at all at social events. Zero had few friends by choice. It was not about feeling superior, as many think about Zero's indifference towards most people. Zero was constantly lost in his own thoughts; he's just that way.   
  
"Hey, Zero." One of the reploids called from across the room. It was Amp, a rookie Maverick Hunter. Even though Amp wasn't on Zero's squad, he managed to become one of Zero's few friends. Zero still remembered Amp's first day on duty. Amp had gotten lost in the HQ building and asked Zero for directions.   
  
The funny part was that Amp mistakenly asked if Zero was a rookie too. Zero could still remember how Amp's face turned brighter than his armor when he found out who Zero really was. From then on, Zero found himself always being the mentor to Amp. Maybe just to prove that he isn't a rookie.   
  
"Hey, Zero! Over here!" Amp called again, this time waving his hands even more franticly in the air. "They want you to judge an arm wrestling match."   
  
"Sure," Zero got out of his seat and headed over. The other reploids cheered on as the two contestants got ready for the match. Zero called "go" and the crowd cheered even louder. One reploid started collecting credits for bets.   
  
The atmosphere was electric. Zero could see that X was right, the others did need to relax. But he was even more surprised that he felt a lot better, too. A little party was all that he really needed. Zero found himself joining in the cheer, and shouting to the top of his lungs when one of the reploids won the match.   
  
"Maybe those dreams just came because I was stressed out." Zero thought. "Maybe they were just hallucinations. Perhaps Dr. Wily never existed."   
  
************************************************************************   
  
X watched Zero shout and sing with the other Hunters. He had never seen Zero so cheerful. Zero was always serious about his job, and never allowed himself to have any fun in the process. At parties, Zero would make an appearance, and then simply sit by the window by himself. X often wondered what kind of baggage Zero was carrying by himself, as he seemed to have wall around him every moment of every day. X was Zero's closest friend, but he still knows very little about Zero. Seeing Zero surrounded by other reploids and enjoying the moment was a rare, but refreshing sight.   
  
"Great party isn't it Dr. Cain?" X asked.   
  
"Yes, indeed it is. After all, you've all earned it. Fighting off Repliforce and the Mavericks all at once was no easy task."   
  
"Speaking of which, did they ever find Sigma's body?"   
  
"When final Weapon blew up, everything inside it was turned into smithereens. There wasn't anything to recover."   
  
"So there's nothing to follow up on."   
  
"X, you were worried about Zero not having enough fun, and here you are talking about work in the middle of a party. Don't worry, as of now, everything is fine." Dr. Cain pushed X towards the singing crowd at the other side of the room. "Run along and have some fun!" X chuckled at the Doctor's gesture. "Of course, Dr. Cain. I'll try."   
  
************************************************************************   
  
"Everything is fine..." The young guard reploid mumbled. He stared up towards the lighted building of the Maverick Hunters HQ. "Everyone must be partying right now, and I'm stuck with the night shift of the archeological dig. Sheesh!"   
  
The young reploid sat down at one of the blocks. "So this was the very place that Dr. Light built his robots." The young guard thought. "I wonder why it was ever turned into ruins." The young guard has also heard that the great Mega Man X was found in the same place.   
  
"Heh, I wonder what else is burie-" The young reploid stopped in his tracks. He had definitely heard a sound. Drawing his weapon, he creeped around the site, trying to pin down the location of that sound.   
  
"There it is again!" This time, he heard it more clearly. It was a beeping sound. He gingerly took several more steps towards it. Then he saw that some of the rubble was shaking. "Something under there is moving..." He studied the blocks that were there. Too big for him to move, so he reached for his radio and called for assistance.   
  
Dr. Cain, Zero, X and some heavy equipment quickly arrived to the scene. The young guard informed Dr. Cain of how he discovered the disturbance, while the machinery moved the large blocks of rubble that covered the mysterious object.   
  
"What is it, Dr. Cain?" X asked as the machinery dug out a large cylinder.   
  
"I don't know..." the doctor said. "Yet." The three rushed over as the machine set down the large cylinder. It was covered with dirt. Dr. Cain used his hand to wipe away some dirt. The doctor's face filled with amazement as he realized what the cylinder is.   
  
"Now I know." Dr. Cain exclaimed. "X, this is the same type of pod I found you in!'' Zero and X quickly got over the shock and helped wipe away the dirt in the capsule. When they were finished, they stood and gawked at the contents of the pod. It was a young woman reploid, with blond hair and a gentle face. Sitting next to her was a red mechanical dog.   
  
"Who are they?" X asked.   
  
"Dr. Cain!" A reploid yelled. "We've discovered a second pod, also with a reploid inside."   
  
"Well, " Zero commented, "I'd say the party down here has just gotten a lot more interesting."   
  
************************************************************************   
  
Zero and X sat in the lounge as Dr. Cain tried to make sense of the two pods unearthed from the archeological site. He convinced the two archeological site. He convinced the two Maverick hunters that they should leave him to open the pods himself. Dr. Cain rushed Zero and X out into the hallway and quickly locked the door behind them.   
  
"X," Zero asked, "Do you remember anything before you were sealed in that pod?"   
  
"Not much." X replied. "Actaully, nothing at all. It wasn't until I ran into Dr. Light's hollogram that I found out I was sealed in the pod by Dr. Light a century ago."   
  
"So you really don't know who those three in the pods are?"   
  
X shook his head.   
  
"I wonder why I don't remember." X said. "Was I damaged? Why was I sealed in the pod? And are these new reploids my friends?"   
  
"X, don't worry about it." Zero reassured. "I'm sure Dr. Cain will dig up some answers."   
  
"Yeah," X got up and walked towards the window. It was dark outside, 11pm. Not too long ago they were enjoying themselves at a party, now this new mystery comes out of nowhere. "Zero?" X asked as he continued to stare at the stars. "Why am I scared?'   
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
X turned around and faced Zero. "I'm terrified!" X said loudly. He turned to look at the closed doors to Dr. Cain's lab. "Am I scared because I don't know about my past? Or because I'm afraid to find out about it?"   
  
X's question hit Zero hard. Suddenly Zero remembered that his past is also a mystery. Was he, too, afraid to find out about the past? About Dr.Wily? About his programming?   
  
"Zero?" X called.   
  
"Heh," Zero thought, "Nonsense. I'm not afraid of my past." Zero turned to look at X.   
  
"Looks like it's you who had one party too many X." Zero chided. "Stop babbling nonsense and sit down."   
  
"Yeah, I guess." X scratched behind his head, and chuckled.   
  
Just then, the door to Dr. Cain's lab opened. Both Maverick Hunter's attention snapped towards the Doctor; he stood with a grave look on his face.   
  
"I think you'd better come in." ************************************************************************ 

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	3. Chapter 3

Megaman Fan Works: Fan Fiction 

**Chapter 3**  
To Chapter [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

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"Humph." Sigma examined his new equipment. The other reploids stood several paces away and meekly looked on, hoping to get some sign of approval from their master. "Humph." Sigma repeated, and that was the best they got.   
  
"Master Sigma." Cyber Peacock stepped up to the Maverick leader. "How are you?"   
  
"Not well." Sigma grumbled. "That blue dream wrecker and his little friend Zero are both alive and well!" Cyber Peacock cowered back as Sigma made more unhappy noises. He knew better than try to provoke Sigma when he was in one of his moods. To his surprise, Sigma began laughing.   
  
"Mas.. Master Sigma?" Cyber Peacock asked lightly.   
  
"I'm about to be doing much better." Sigma declared. "Zero finally found out about Dr. Wily and I'm pretty sure that it won't be long before Zero becomes one of our friends." He cackled evilly. "On top of that, Vile is almost rebuilt."   
  
"In that case, sir." Cyber Peacock said, trembling, and chuclked nervously. "This new development shouldn't hinder our plans much."   
  
"Humph." Sigma stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes to slits. "What new development?"   
  
"Dr. Cain and the other Hunters have discovered two pods at the excavation site. Apparently there are three reploids inside."   
  
"Reploids? What kind of reploids?"   
  
"We don't know yet."   
  
"Well, get on it!" Sigma barked. "And as soon as Vile is ready, we'll go give Zero some encouragement on his progress." Sigma grinned. Zero would soon be on their side, and that means the Blue Bomber would be his to crush. To top it off, it would be Zero who brings X right where Sigma wants him.   
  
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As Zero and X walked into Dr. Cain's lab, they noticed two new reploids already sitting. One was the girl they saw in the pod, the other was a complete stranger. He was clad in gray and red armor, wearing dark shades over his eyes and a yellow scarf around his neck. While the Grey Reploid remained sitting, the other stranger leaped up as X entered the room.   
  
"Mega Man! It's you!" The girl exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around X. "You're alive. It's good to see you after all these years."   
  
"Wha, what?" X stammered. "Who are you?"   
  
A look of betrayal crossed the girl's face, and she let go of X. Her initial happiness now mostly dampened. "You mean... you don't remember me?"   
  
"Maybe we'd better all sit down and let me try to explain what is going on." Dr. Cain cut in. They all complied. Everyone sat facing the doctor, who stood in front of a viewing screen.   
  
X studied the two new reploids. The girl looked harmless enough, she wasn't even armed with a weapon. X turned his attention to the other reploid, who might be more of a threat. He had an X-Type Buster, just like himself. Is this a coincidence?   
  
"X, I'd like you to meet your siblings: Roll and Protoman."   
  
X stared at Dr. Cain, to see if this was some kind of a mistake. Then he looked at the new reploids again with amazement. The girl reploid looked hopefully at X again, probably mentally willing X to remember a detail, any detail, about them. X took in a couple of breaths. No new memory surfaced.   
  
"After we moved the two pods into my lab, I discovered that there was a message on them." Dr. Cain pressed some buttons on the pad. "Please watch this." On the monitor, a bearded man with a lab coat appeared. X recognized the figure as Dr. Light, the man he's seen several times in the past as a hologram.   
  
"Hello," The bearded man said, "My name is Dr. Light. If you're seeing this message, then you must have found the stasis pods, which contains Roll, Protoman and Rush. I hope it's you, Mega Man." The man's face softened at the mention of the name. "If you are Mega Man, this is you sister, Roll, your older brother Protoman and your dog Rush. I hope you remember. Although there is a good chance you might not.   
  
"You see," Dr. Light continued, "Mega Man, you were the first to be changed to a reploid, a robot with the same feelings as any human being. We weren't sure if you were going to turn out fine, so I had to seal you in that capsule, for thirty years, to ensure you wouldn't rebel against the humans. I knew I probably wouldn't live to see you when you come out of the pod...but it didn't matter. I had to make sure that you wouldn't malfunction.   
  
"Then Dr. Wily, an evil scientist trying to take over the world, attacked. He stole a large bomb and held the world at ransom. So I decided to make Roll, Protoman and Rush into reploids as well, in hopes that they could help fight Wily when they woke up from their capsule. I reinforced their capsule against the blast of the bomb, so they wouldn't be damaged. But I never had a chance to reinforce Mega Man's capsule, because it was already buried and there was no time to dig it up. Then Wily dropped the bomb." The Doctor's voice trailed off. "I don't even know if Mega Man's capsule survived the blast.   
  
"Wily killed a lot of people that day, so I pressed on. Right now, as I am recording this message, I am building more robots against Dr. Wily. Megaman couldn't fight for us anymore, so I'm afraid it's a downhill battle. However, all hope is not gone. I will fight Dr. Wily to my last breath." A pause. "I hope you see this Mega Man, Roll, and Protoman. I hope you all turn out fine." The screen went black.   
  
X stared at the screen in disbelief. "I have a brother? A sister?"   
  
"Mega Man?" Roll asked. "You still don't remember us?"   
  
X turned to Roll and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, I don't."   
  
"It's no problem, bro." Protoman finally said something. "You're still our brother, even if that whack by the bomb took out your memory."   
  
"Yes." Dr. Cain joined in. "That must have been what happened. Because your capsule wasn't reinforced with the shield, you were affected by the blast. And because the schematics between you and Protoman are almost identical, I have to conclude that the same scientist created you two. So in most sense of the word, you two are brothers."   
  
"I can't believe it..." X mumbled as he tried to soak in the news. He seemed to sink deeper in his chair in thought.   
  
"The even more disturbing part is yet to come X." Dr. Cain said. "It appears that this Dr. Wily person is also responsible for the creation of Vile, and Sigma."   
  
Protoman nodded. "Before Roll and I were sealed in the capsules, there was already news that Dr. Wily had created reploids of his own. We're not sure exactly what these reploids are, but since Sigma and Vile are the ones creating the most trouble, we can only guess Wily's responsible."   
  
"Dr. Wily." X said the name slowly, thoughtfully. "He isn't still here, is he?"   
  
"No," Dr. Cain replied, "Records show that Dr. Wily died when the police and army raided their Fortress."   
  
"And what happened to Dr. Light?" X popped out of his chair and asked eagerly. "Is he still alive?"   
  
"I'm sorry X." Dr. Cain said. "Dr. Light worked hard at creating a force of reploids to fight Dr. Wily. Wily knew about this and eventually got to Dr. Light. Without Megaman to protect him..."   
  
X slumped back into his chair. "So Dr. Wily is the source of all their troubles. Sigma, Vile, who knows what else? And my siblings Roll and Protoman, they're my new allies. So much, so fast! Why can't I remember anything?"   
  
"Zero," X turned to where Zero was sitting, "What do you-" Then X realized that Zero was gone.   
  
************************************************************************   
  
Zero quietly sneaked out of Dr. Cain's lab and took a motorcycle to the roads. He couldn't stand to be inside any place right now. Everything was so... out of control; out of his control. He felt like his brain might explode with all his thoughts bouncing around inside.   
  
"So there was a Dr. Wily." Zero said as he drove further from the Maverick Hunters HQ. "And he is X's enemy. Does this mean that I am his enemy?"   
  
"Yes, Zero." Dr. Wily's voice rang in his head. "You are X's enemy. You must destroy him when the time is right."   
  
"Stop saying that!" Zero yelled as he clutched his head with one hand. "I won't kill X. He is my friend."   
  
"You were programmed to be his friend." Dr. Wily's voice echoed in his head. "You were to gain his trust and dispose of him when he would least suspect it. Don't you remember, Zero? That was the plan."   
  
"No..." Zero accelerated the motorcycle, trying to out run the voice.   
  
"You and X were always on different roads. You were created to destroy him. That is the prophecy. It is coming."   
  
"No!" Zero ripped across the road. He needed to get away, go somewhere! Anywhere!   
  
"You are X's enemy."   
  
Zero moaned as the voice tortured his mind and ripped his head apart. He was torn between obeying his creator and being loyal to his friend. Nothing he said or thought seemed to change the loyalty to his owner programmed in him. However, he felt just as much friendship for X. The ambivalence was killing him.   
  
"X only pretended to be your friend because it was convenient, Zero. You were a good Hunter. They needed you. Why else would he have been so nice to you?" Dr. Wily's laughter continued to roar in Zero's head.   
  
"You're wrong!" Zero declared. At that moment, Zero felt that the voice was gone. He slowed the motor cycle to a stop. "I beat him. This time." He said as he breathed heavily. Then he looked around him. "Where was I going?"   
  
***********************************************************************   
  
"Zero!" X called to the Maverick Hunter as Zero walked down the hallway at HQ. "Where have you been? We were all worried about you." There was X again, a concerned little houswife. For some reason, Zero felt very negativly about everything X did right now.   
  
Zero bitterly looked at X   
  
"I didn't want to interrupt your family gathering X." He declared.   
  
"What are you talking about? You sound mad." X kept walking with Zero.   
  
"Mad?" Zero said sarcastically. "Me? Mad? No way. Why should I be mad at you, X? It's not like I just realized now that you've got your brother, sister and even the family pet together again, you don't need little old me anymore!"   
  
"Zero. Are you okay? Why are you saying things like this?"   
  
Zero stopped walking, blinked several times, shook his head and started to giggle.   
  
"Zero?" X asked carefully.   
  
"Oh, X, I think I had one drink too many at the party. I'm completely beat. It's two in the morning already. I think I'll hit the sack." Without another word, Zero walked away, leaving X standing in the corridor, dumbfounded.   
  
"Zero..." X stared after his friend, more confused and worried. Zero usually got emotional. Sure, Zero got mad, but he'd never seen Zero edgy this way before.   
  
*********************************************************************   
  
Zero left X behind, but someone else joined him.   
  
"Zero..." It was that voice again. Dr. Wily. "Zero?"   
  
"Shut up." Zero commanded as he walked down the corridor.   
  
"Is that any way to talk to your creator?" Around the corner, Dr. Wily appeared before Zero's eyes. Dr. Wily appeared in front of him, just as he looked in his dreams. Wild hair, evil smile, and that look of smugness in his eyes.   
  
"You're here!" Zero shouted, and backed up several steps. "That's impossible!" Zero doesn't scare easy, but this was one of those rare occasions. The man that's owned a part of his thoughts and an uninvited guest in his dreams was standing before him. It was bad enough Zero had to deal with him in his mind, but he wasn't sure what to do with Wily physically right in front of him.   
  
"I had to see you, Zero." Dr. Wily took a step towards Zero. "I had to come and tell you where to go next." Dr. Wily's smile got even more psycho than usual.   
  
"You can't tell me what to do. I'm Zero, head of the-"   
  
"Yes, yes, we all know your rank." Dr. Wily said impatiently. "But you need to know where you are going next." Dr. Wily grabbed Zero's arm and, with incredible strength, dragged Zero unwillingly down the corridor.   
  
"How?" Zero exclaimed. He continued to struggle to get off Wily's grip. To his surprise, Wily had no trouble holding on. Was this because he couldn't use force again his creator? This was going to be problematic.   
  
"Zero." Wily said gravely. "We're here." The Maverick Hunter got up from the ground and stood in front of the door.   
  
"But this is X's room." Zero said nervously.   
  
"Precisely." Wily said. "Go inside." Zero found himself activating the silding doors and walking into the dark room. He saw X, asleep on the bed, unaware of Zero or Wily.   
  
"What am I doing here?" Zero thought.   
  
"What do you think?" Wily said.   
  
Zero walked towards the sleeping X. He stared down at the Blue Hunter and studied his face. "X, my friend." Somehow the Z-Saber ended up in his hands, humming and ready to use. "Where to go." Zero repeated. "Where to go." Without another word, he brought the Z-Saber crashing down on to X. There was a bright flash, and then the room was dark again.   
  
Zero bolted upright on his bed, face contorted with horror and hair a big mess. Zero looked around him in fright, searching for any sign of what went on. Then he remembered X, and his Z-Saber. He hopped out of bed and tore down the hallways of the Maverick Hunter HQ, towards X's room. When Zero got there, he stood studying the door. He was afraid to see what was inside.   
  
Zero rang the bell on the door, and waited. No one answered.   
  
"What have I done?" Zero whispered.   
  
Just then, a groggy looking X opened the door. X scratched his brown hair and yawned.   
  
"Zero?" X asked. "What's going on? What time is it?"   
  
Zero let out a breath. "It was all a dream." He thought as he leaned against the doorframe. "I didn't kill X."   
  
"Nothing X." Zero said. "Just up for an early morning jog and thought I'd stop by." X gave Zero a strange look, mumbled a groggy "good night" and closed the door.   
  
Zero slowly made his way back, cursing Dr. Wily's name as he went along.   
  
He was terrified when he thought he had killed X. Even if it was in a dream, how could he destroy his partner? "No," Zero thought, "Dr. Wily can only put voices and dreams into my head. But he could never make me kill X."   
  
********************************************************************** 

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	4. Chapter 4

Megaman Fan Works: Fan Fiction 

**Chapter 4**  
To Chapter [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

* * *

Protoman found himself dragged to the practice hall, by X, for an afternoon workout. "It has been awhile since I practiced with Mega Man-er X." Protoman thought to himself. "Might as well take this time to catch up."   
  
"What's that you're setting up?" Protoman asked as X fixed the equipment around the room. The training hall was a long room with many traps hidden for the trainee to dodge. Protoman could see that X was checking the traps again.   
  
"Just things to make this session more interesting." X said mysteriously. "You are my brother, so you should be able to handle this stuff with no problems." X finally turned back towards Protoman and smirked.   
  
"Okay, the object of this game is to get to the other end of the room, unharmed, or in this case, unmarked by the red paint on the traps."   
  
"Sounds easy." Protoman said. "What's the catch?"   
  
"The catch is that we fight each other along the way. Only one of us can successfully make it to the end. May the best reploid win." The two brothers each took a fighting stance. "Whenever you're ready, Protoman."   
  
"Women and children first, little brother." Protoman challenged. With that, X leaped out in to the center of the room giving him space to fire a shot at Protoman. Protoman easily sidestepped the shot, and followed his brother into the center of the room. Something was triggered and a set of arrows from the wall shot towards Protoman. He turned and fired his arm cannon to stop the arrows, but X uppercuts Protoman while he is distracted.   
  
Protoman staggered back, surprised and amused by his opponent's attack. Protoman sized up the room and fired a shot past X, which sets off another booby trap. A big sack of cement falls down towards X. The Blue Hunter leaps forward to dodge the cement, only to find a swift roundhouse from Protoman connecting with this side.   
  
"Tell me, Protoman." Mega Man X said as he fired shots at his brother. "Did we ever train like this back then?"   
  
"Yep." Protoman replied as he dodged the shots. "And I always whooped you." Protoman launched his own assault of plasma.   
  
"Ha! Now I know you're lying." X ducked under Protoman's shots and tried to trip Protoman with a low kick. The scarfed reploid jumped before the kick landed and leaped to the end of the hall.   
  
"Looks like I win again, little brother." Protoman gave X a toothy grin.   
  
"Looks like." Mega Man X pointed to Protoman's leg, which was splattered with some red paint. It was then when Protoman realized the low kick was meant to be dodged, so that X could hit him with one of the arrow's paint.   
  
"Not bad, X." Protoman admitted. "Seems like you've brushed up while I was away."   
  
"Fighting Sigma four times does take considerable practice to perfect." X said. "That and lots of training with Zero."   
  
"What ever happened to Zero last night?" Protoman asked. "He left before we got to talk to him."   
  
"I don't know." X lowered his eyebrows in thought. "Zero was beyond strange. First he disappears, comes back and acts mad at the fact that I've got my family, then shows up at my door at four in the morning with the most surprised look I've ever seen."   
  
"How long has this been going on?"   
  
"Ever since he defeated Sigma on Final Weapon. Something is up, and he's not telling me. Typical Zero."   
  
Protoman was about to say something else when the red alert alarm blared. The two reploids quickly dashed to the window and saw that a big army of Mavericks was storming the HQ. Without another word, the two raced down to the battle.   
  
***********************************************************************   
  
"Isn't this nice, Vile?" Sigma asked as he looked around. "Fresh air, comfortable surroundings, and a Maverick Hunter HQ to destroy. Can it get any better?"   
  
"Not at the moment." Vile replied as he shot another security guard with his large shoulder cannon. Sigma stood and watched his minions attack The Maverick Hunter HQ. This wasn't a serious assult. The plan was to get a certain reploid's attention. That someone, though, has yet to make his entrance.   
  
"No, no, Vile. Something is missing. Something important." Sigma said thoughtfully.   
  
"It's over, Maverick scumbags!" X declared as he and many other Maverick Hunters arrived at the foot of the HQ building.   
  
"Yes, that's it! Mega Man X. No plan of mine is complete without the intervention of the pesky X. Where is your little friend, Zero?"   
  
X recognized the voice and gasped in horror. "Vile? Sigma! You're alive!" Something lodged painfully in X's throat. Sigma had more lives than a cat. Time and again X and Zero defeated Sigma, but--like clockwork--he returns from the grave. This time, though, with Final Weapon blown into smithereens, X thought he and Zero had buried Sigma's legacy forever. X gulped down his disgust and raised his X buster towards Sigma, who ignored the weapon while he enjoyed X's reaction to Sigma's return.   
  
"Of course I am." Sigma replied smugly. "I still have things to do, people to kill, places to wreck. You understand."   
  
"I don't know how you survived Final Weapon's explosion, but it ends here." Zero joined in.   
  
"Zero, there you are!" Sigma feined joy at Zero's arrival. "Remember what we talked about on Final Weapon?" Sigma asked. "Our little chit chat about how you were once, yourself, dare I say, a Maverick?"   
  
"Zero? What's Sigma talking about?" X's confusion was evident in his tone. X turned his head slightly towards Zero, who ignored X and continued to burn his stare at the Maverick leader.   
  
"You do remember, X," Sigma said, "That I was once a Maverick Hunter. And I still recall the one Maverick who managed to wipe out Gamma's entire Hunter unit. I had to take care of him myself. That Maverick--" Sigma paused for affect, "--was Zero."   
  
"Shut up and fight." Zero gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes even more. He swiftly drew his Z-Saber and held it before him, ready to slice Sigma into shreds if he said another word.   
  
Sigma tilted his head and studied the Red Hunter. Obviously Zero still considers himself a full-fledged hunter. "It's not the right time for us to have this fight yet, Zero. But what the hey. Vile, go ahead and take out some more hunters. I'm still in a bad mood." Sigma then started to leave.   
  
Vile complied and reloaded his shoulder cannon. But before he could aim it at anything, Protoman landed a kick squarely on Vile's head, knocking the purple Maverick down. The other Hunters and Mavericks fought, cannon against cannon and punches against kicks.   
  
Zero chased after Sigma, hoping to get an answer and perhaps off him while he was at it.   
  
"Sigma!" Zero yelled as he ran after the Maverick leader. "What's wrong? Afraid I'll destroy you again?"   
  
Sigma turned around and smiled at the Red Hunter's boldness.   
  
"Zero, nice of you to join me." Sigma could feel Zero's anger rising every second as he continued to stall.   
  
"What did you mean by 'now is not the right time?'" Zero demanded. "What did you mean?"   
  
"You and I Zero, have some unfinished business to discuss. You were created by Dr. Wily to destroy that blasted X. But you haven't accepted that yet, have you?"   
  
"I'll never turn against the Hunters and join the likes of you!"   
  
"But you've shown such potential."   
  
"What?" Zero hesitated for a moment. Could Sigma really know as much as he claimed about Zero's past?   
  
"Back on Final Weapon, during our fight, you couldn't bring yourself to kill me. No, Zero, you left Final Weapon knowing full well that I was still alive. Badly damaged, but still alive. Why didn't you kill me Zero?" A self-satisfied grin appeared on Sigma's face. "Because you can't!"   
  
Back in step again, Zero did not pause before giving his reply. "I only left you to rot with the space dust. If I'd known you were still alive, I would have taken the time to make you extra crispy."   
  
"Idle threats. You can't kill me because you know we're on the same side. It was the same even when you were a Maverick. You had me defeated, but you stopped yourself before the fatal blow, because you and I are both created by Dr. Wily."   
  
"That may be true." Zero chuckled. "But I can still kill you." Zero lashed at Sigma with the Z-Saber, while Sigma just stood there, ready to take the blow.   
  
"Why is he just standing there?" Zero thought. He landed on the other side of Sigma without touching him. "Humph." Zero grumbled. "It's no fun when you don't even try." Then Zero teleported back to HQ.   
  
"See," Sigma said smugly, "I told you, you can't kill me." 

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	5. Chapter 5

Megaman Fan Works: Fan Fiction 

**Chapter 5**  
To Chapter [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

* * *

Protoman had followed Zero and Sigma, thinking that Hunter might need some help finishing the Maverick Leader. To Protoman's surprise, Zero and Sigma were having a conversation. Protoman noticed that Sigma was unarmed while Zero had his Z-Saber out.   
  
"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Protoman thought. "He has a big opening, why isn't he doing anything?"   
  
"Zero has been acting this way since he destroyed Sigma on Final Weapon." Protoman recalled X saying. Destroyed Sigma? Then why is it that he is still alive?   
  
"You can't kill me." Sigma declared. "Because you know we're on the same side."   
  
There were more words exchanged, and then Zero launched himself, Z-Saber drawn, to attack Sigma. The Maverick just stood there, grinning at Zero. Before Zero could hit Sigma, though, he moved his Z-Saber to one side, leaving Sigma unscathed. Protoman watched in horror as Zero teleported away and Sigma roared in laughter.   
  
"...The same side?" Protoman thought. "Zero and Sigma?' Then it occurred to him. "Dr. Wily."   
  
************************************************************************   
  
Back at HQ, the Maverick Hunters rounded up the Mavericks that Sigma and Vile left behind. Vile and the other more powerful Mavericks managed to get away. There was no real damage to the HQ building, as if Sigma was just taunting the Hunters. Dr. Cain, Zero, X and Protoman were in Cain's lab, trying to figure out what Sigma was planning.   
  
"If Sigma really wanted to destroy Headquarters," Dr. Cain observed, "He would have put up more of a fight."   
  
"Maybe he was just teasing us." X suggested. "Trying to tell us that he's back."   
  
"X," Protoman began, "I thought you said Zero destroyed Sigma."   
  
Zero felt all eyes turning towards him. "What am I supposed to tell them?" Zero thought. "That Sigma and I are old buddies?"   
  
"He must have had help getting off Final Weapon." Zero said. "When I left him, he was completely inoperational."   
  
"That's not the important thing right now." Dr. Cain said. "Sigma has mysteriously returned to life, time and again. The question is what does he want this time."   
  
"Well, we know our old buddy Vile is back." X said sarcastically. He suddenly remembered something, and turned to Zero. "Zero, what did Sigma mean when he said you were once a Maverick?"   
  
Zero's eyes wandered to the side of the room. "I don't remember X. I only remember things starting from the time some scientists from the repair center activated me." Zero turned back to X. "It must be a lie. I could never be a Maverick."   
  
Dr. Cain carefully studied Zero. "Zero, Sigma was once a Maverick Hunter. I do remember one strong Maverick wiping Gamma's unit, and he was brought into The Phoenix Repair Center. But I can't tell you who it was until I check the files. I did not come into contact with this Maverick myself."   
  
"Please, go ahead and check, Doctor." Zero said. "I have to go track down Sigma." Zero began to leave.   
  
"I'm coming too." X got up to follow.   
  
"No, X." Zero declared. "I'll take care of it." Zero turned towards the door and left.   
  
"X," Protoman said, "I saw Zero and Sigma today, during the attack. I didn't want to say anything while he was here, but Sigma told Zero that they're on the same side. And Zero had an opening to kill Sigma but he didn't take it."   
  
X turned to face his brother. "No, Zero probably didn't see the opening and was waiting for me to come and help."   
  
"X," Protoman tried to convince his brother, "Sigma was completely unarmed. Zero could have finished him off, and he didn't."   
  
"It's some kind of trick." X shook his head. "When it's Sigma, anything can happen. He's trying to mess with our minds again."   
  
Protoman turned to Cain. "Dr. Cain, where did Zero come from?"   
  
"No one knows." Dr. Cain replied. " I can check back files to find out, but this is going to take awhile."   
  
"Meanwhile, X," Protoman warned, "Just ...keep an eye out on Zero. There's something wrong with him."   
  
"...." X looked to where Zero was sitting.   
  
***********************************************************   
  
Zero sat silently in his room. He had lied to X and the others. After Sigma reminded him, Zero did remember being a Maverick. He recalled Gamma's Unit, out to capture him, and he could see himself killing those Reploids, one by one. Sickeningly, he enjoyed crushing the skulls of those wretched Hunters, and he remembered laughing heartily when Sigma, then a Hunter himself, screamed with terror. Yes, he could see Sigma, lying on the ground, with only one arm, and his entire shiny armor crooked and bent. Zero had raised his arm to finish him off, but something stopped him. It was like someone was tugging on his mind.   
  
"Zero." That was the first time he heard the voice, Dr. Wily's voice. Zero wasn't aware of the terrible nightmare that the voice will summon. The future, in which, everything would change. Sigma took this opportunity to knock Zero out, and brought him back to the Hunter's Repair Center to be studied. After he was repaired, Zero had the urge to join the Maverick Hunters. No one questioned it, because they just assumed Zero was tying to show his gratitude by helping the Hunters. What eluded everyone was the true, twisted reason why Zero joined the Hunters: He wanted to find Mega Man X...gain his trust... and now, as Dr. Wily tells him, destroy the Blue Hunter. This was also news to him. He never questioned his own motivations. He enjoyed being a hunter and working X. But now... "Was everything a lie?" Zero asked himself as he clamped his hands together. "My life, my duty, my friendship. Was it all a lie?"   
  
***********************************************************   
  
X, Zero, and several other Mavericks carefully entered a high rise building. Headquarters received a call earlier about several Mavericks breaking into a safe on the top floor vaults, where all the valuable computer chips were held.   
  
Zero motioned for the others to gather around, and began to draw out a plan to enter the vault floor to surround the robbers. X had a look of concern on his face. He wasn't bothered by the software thieves they were about to encounter. Instead, he was thinking about the whole Zero/Sigma thing.   
  
What did the two have in common? Protoman's words still nabbed at his mind. His first instinct was to side with Zero, who has always been an asset to the Maverick Hunters, and a good friend. But what if Protoman was right?   
  
Then is Zero really to be trusted?   
  
"X, you take Amp and head for the north stairway." Zero said as he pointed to the map. "Electra and I will take the south stairway and bust into the room first. You and Amp count the number of Mavericks, so we don't get surprised. Electra and I will bust into the room in exactly ten minutes. We'll take care of the Mavericks we do see, you and Amp take any others who might be hiding." The team nodded in agreement and took their positions.   
  
X lead Amp up several flights of stairs to the north corridor of the vault floor. He stood silently and listened to make sure no one was in the hallway to greet them. When he made sure it was safe, he gave Amp more instructions. "Zero and Electra will go in from the other side. We'll take position at the doorway, and see what we can spy from there."   
  
He motioned for Amp to follow him as he moved towards the door. X slowly turned the doorknob, and waited five more seconds before pulling it slightly to look inside. He counted the number of Mavericks and raised his hand to indicate that there were five reploids inside.   
  
X continued to wait at the door for Zero to engage the reploids. Again, X couldn't help but wonder if it was wise to listen to his brother. "If I don't watch out and Zero does turn out to be against us, I could be putting many lives on the line. But I can't constantly watch him and do my job at the same time, that would also be dangerous."   
  
A loud noise inside the room snapped X out of his thoughts. Zero and Electra pointed their weapons at the Mavericks. X burst in, followed by Amp, and took the Mavericks from behind. Everything seemed fine, but then a sickening feeling came over X. Something was very wrong, X only saw four Mavericks before him.   
  
"Four?" X panicked. Before he could react, the fifth Maverick tackled him from the side. The two landed on the ground with a hard thud. X was too surprised to act, while the Maverick brought out a large stick and swiped at X's head. The blow landed, and X let out an agonized cry. Amp finally got his thoughts together and fired a shot at the Maverick, sending him flying across the room.   
  
X tried to get up, but the blow to the head made everything around him spin. As X tried to take a step forward, he fell to the side, crashing through the large window. X blindly grabbed onto the ledge, only to find that the sharp glass edges were digging into his hands.   
  
X tried not to think about the fifty stories of air under his dangling boots. He moved his lips to scream for help, but the panic welled inside his throat, muffling any sounds he tried to make.   
  
Zero appeared on the ledge. X could see the fuzzy image of Zero, hair all disheveled and helmet slightly bent out of shape, probably from beating that fifth Maverick.   
  
Zero looked down at X, and for the briefest split second, X could have sworn Zero was going to let him fall. A look of confusion took over the usually confidant Zero and he froze.   
  
Even through his distorted vision, X saw that something was horribly wrong with Zero and tried to pull himself up, but his throbbing head and the sharp glass made it impossible to do so. Every move X made sent shocks of pain down his arms.   
  
"Ugh." X finally managed to yell out as one of his hands slipped. X's eyes wandered down to see the fifty story fall. When he turned his head back up, he saw Zero again, this time, putting his hands around X's arms to pull him up.   
  
After X was on secure ground again, he let out a big sigh of relief and tried to clear his head, which currently felt like it was stuffed with cotton.   
  
"You all right?" Zero asked.   
  
"Yeah," X said, "I can't believe I missed that fifth Maverick."   
  
"Why? Did something distract you?"   
  
X remembered that he was distracted, by thinking about Zero. It was his own fault that the Maverick knocked him over.   
  
"Well," Zero said, "We nabbed those Mavericks. I especially gave the one who hit you a good pounding." Zero raised his eyebrows casually, joking to lighten up the mood.   
  
X managed to let out a few laughs, but he still remembered that Zero hesitated before pulling X back up. "It's not like Zero to hesitate about anything." X thought. "Why did he wait?"   
  
"Earth to X." Zero said. "Zoning out again. I swear, you do that again, and next time I'll just let you fall." Zero laughed again. X, though, did not.   
  
"Protoman told me to keep an eye out on Zero." X thought. "Maybe he was right." Then his head throbbed again. "Of course it could've just been my head."  
  


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	6. Chapter 6

Megaman Fan Works: Fan Fiction 

**Chapter 6**  
To Chapter [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

* * *

The first thing X did when he got back to headquarters was visit Dr. Cain's lab. X was eager to find out if the news about Zero was true. When he arrived, he saw that Protoman and Dr. Cain were hunched over the computer display, reading something intently.   
  
"Protoman, Dr. Cain." X greeted. "Have you found the archives yet?"   
  
"No luck X." Dr. Cain said dejectedly. "It seems that most of the data regarding that subject was destroyed by an attack on HQ several years ago."   
  
"So now Dr. Cain is trying to call up some of the scientists who worked at the repair center some years ago to confirm if Zero was a Maverick." Protoman explained.   
  
"But their addresses have all changed, so tracking them down is going to take even longer than expected."   
  
"So meanwhile what do we tell Zero?" X asked.   
  
"Nothing." Dr. Cain answered. "We don't have anything against Zero at the moment. And even if he was a Maverick, it doesn't mean that he hasn't changed. There is no need for false accusations."   
  
"But Dr. Cain!" Protoman protested. "Shouldn't we at least keep an eye out? What if he suddenly snaps?"   
  
"Zero wouldn't." X insisted. "We just have to do things this way and wait."   
  
"I know something is up." Protoman argued. "Zero has been acting strange lately."   
  
"Protoman-" X tried to claim Protoman.   
  
"X, I'm your own brother. Don't you trust me."   
  
"It's because you're my brother that you should listen to what I'm saying." X raised his voice. "There's no need to rouse up anything if nothing is wrong. I've been Zero's partner for years now, and I trust him."   
  
Protoman stood his ground on the argument. "Fine, but if something goes wrong and we all find ourselves shish-cabobbed by Zero's Z-Saber, just remember that I told you so." Protoman gave X a last angry look and stormed out.   
  
***********************************************************   
  
Zero stared blankly at his reflection on the mirror.   
  
"What went wrong today?" Zero asked himself. "I was going to let X fall. I was just going to let him dangle there and lose his grip. I even thought about giving him a helping shove. How could I?!"   
  
Zero closed his eyes and saw X dangling there again, but this time, when Zero grabbed X's hands, he immediately released them, causing X to fall. He could see X's expression of shock, all the way down...until his body made a healthy crack against the sidewalk below. Poor little X never even saw it coming...   
  
"What am I thinking?!" Zero shouted and punched the mirror. Spider web like cracks branched out from Zero's fist. "I can't be around X if he has to trust me with his life. I can't... because next time... I might really... let go."   
  
***********************************************************   
  
X was in the equipment room, inspecting the armor one by one. There was nothing more to do, except kill time and wait for the answers from those scientists. X couldn't imagine fully concentrating on anything before finding out about Zero.   
  
"Hi, Commander X." It was Amp, who approached from the doorway. The smaller yellow reploid always seemed cheerful. To Amp, being a Maverick Hunter was the greatest honor, so there never came a day when he wasn't happy.   
  
"So how did you like today's mission Amp?" X asked. "By the way, why did you come with us? You're not on Zero's squad, are you?'   
  
"Oh." Amp said with a tang of embarrassment. "My commander wanted me to get more practice and since today's case wasn't all that big, he convinced Zero to let me come along."   
  
"Zero's your idol, isn't he?" X observed.   
  
Amp blushed brightly.   
  
"It's not that embarassing." X explained as he lifted another piece of equipment to inspect. "When I first joined the Maverick Hunters, I was the same. Zero seemed like the strongest and most brave Hunter in the force, and because I wasn't all that strong before, I idolized him."   
  
"You?" Amp said in awe. "Were once weak?"   
  
"Yep." X admitted and turned to look at Amp. "Before I found Dr. Light's upgrades, I was the weakest one on Zero's squad. We were on a mission once, and I accidentally bumped into Vile. He easily pounded me. I was just no match for him. I felt humiliated and weak, but Zero would always have something reassuring to say."   
  
"Was that the first time you went up against Vile?"   
  
"Yeah, that was a long time ago." X said thoughtfully, remembering the event. "Vile had taken over a city, by Sigma's orders. I went inside, and there he was with an invincible ride armor. He easily defeated me, almost killed me too, until Zero stopped him." A pause. "Later, though, Zero sacrificed himself to destroy Vile's ride armor, so I could have a chance to beat Vile, and eventually Sigma."   
  
Protoman suddenly burst into the room, with panic on his face. Both X and Amp's attention snapped towards Protoman.   
  
"X! Zero is gone!"   
  
"Gone?" X's mind whirled. "What do you mean 'gone'?"   
  
"We found Zero's room all rearranged, with everything fragile broken and he is nowhere to be found."   
  
"Are you sure?" X's face cringed. "Did you check every place?"   
  
Protoman nodded.   
  
"The situation is more serious than that, X." Dr. Cain said as he entered the room. "I've finally managed to contact those scientists, and it appears that Zero was once a Maverick, reprogrammed to be a Hunter. So what Sigma said was probably true."   
  
"Then it's settled." Protoman declared. "We have to destroy Zero."   
  
"But..." X stammered.   
  
"If it's true that Zero is on Sigma's side, then he too was probably created by Dr. Wily." Protoman turned to Dr. Cain. "And why would Wily send a robot with X to the future posed as a friend? To destroy X, of course. Even if Zero isn't a Maverick now, he will be. We can't let such a powerful time bomb run around freely."   
  
X turned to his own thoughts, and remembered a conversation he had with Zero once. It was after a battle with Sigma, when X was haunted by questions about why reploids become Mavericks:   
  
----------   
  
"This is Maverick Hunter Headquarters." Zero said on the communication device.   
  
"Zero!" X replied.   
  
"It's good to see you're safe, X." Zero said as he smiled. "I was really worried about you."   
  
"Sorry about that..."   
  
"Don't worry, it's all over. Go home and rest, you've earned it."   
  
"But Zero, what...what if I become one of the Mavericks?"   
  
Zero gave X a surprised look. Obviously, for him, the question came out of nowhere.   
  
"Don't ask a silly question. I'm breaking contact now."   
  
"Wait, Zero! I'm...I'm serious!" X looked at him with the gravest look. "Zero, if...if I ever become a Maverick, you have to take care of me..."   
  
There was an awkward silence between the two as they thought about the enormity of the promise, of the words that just came out of X's mouth. Finally Zero looked away.   
  
"Don't be ridiculous, X. Now hurry on back." Zero broke contact.   
  
"Promise me, Zero."   
  
----------   
  
X checked his arm cannon again. Protoman and many others were also getting ready for battle. Dr. Cain asked some of the hunters to go find Zero, who has disappeared for more than twelve hours, and Protoman insisted that they equip to kill. He and many of the others were convinced that Zero has gone Maverick.   
  
X slowly put on the gleaming white armor.   
  
"How ironic," X thought, "I asked Zero to destroy me if I should ever... and now we're preparing to destroy him."   
  
"Come on, X." Protoman prompted. "Let's go."   
  
***********************************************************   
  
Zero got onto a motorcycle and kept on driving. Everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. Even he can't trust himself now. It seems like he has lost all control over his thoughts, but was still there to feel guilty about it.   
  
"My conscious duty is to the Maverick Hunters." Zero said to himself. "But something inside keeps saying that it's not who I am anymore."   
  
"Here we are Zero." Dr. Wily said.   
  
Zero stopped the motorcycle and studied his surroundings.   
  
"I'm..."   
  
"Welcome to the Maverick Fortress, Zero." Zero turned around and saw Sigma, Vile, and various other Mavericks standing there with pleasant smiles. "We were expecting you."   
  
"So this is where I belong." Zero whispered.   
  
***********************************************************   
  
"You see Zero." Sigma proudly said as he led the Red Hunter into his fortress. "You and I, we're brothers, created by the same scientific genius, Dr. Wily."   
  
"I'll give you that we were created by the same man." Zero retorted. "But please, don't call me your brother."   
  
"Fine." Sigma said as if it didn't matter. "Now, come over here and look at these plans." Sigma pointed to several diagrams the huge monitor.   
  
"This is the map of the Phoenix Center." Zero said. "The current location of the Maverick Hunter's repair center."   
  
"Yes," Sigma said, "And soon it will be a big pile of rubbles."   
  
"But, what about all the innocent humans inside? Most of the staff are just human scientists."   
  
"Is that a pang of pity that I sense, Zero? I thought you were beyond that."   
  
"Our target is the Maverick Hunters, not humans." Zero said.   
  
"The Maverick Hunters and anyone else helping them, humans included." Sigma corrected. He studied the ex-hunter. "What's wrong Zero? I thought you were with us. That's why you came, right?"   
  
Zero turned away from Sigma to look again at the map. "I drove myself here." He thought. "But do I really want to kill?"   
  
"I knew your memory of Dr. Wily was enough to bring you here, Zero." Sigma said. "But we suspected you might change your mind."   
  
Upon turning around, Zero saw that Cyber Peacock, Split Mushroom, and Sigma all had their weapons ready.   
  
"Heh," Zero chuckled, "You think fowl and fungi here can take care of me? You're more stupid than I remembered, Sigma." Before anyone else could make a move, Zero drew his Z-Saber and attacked the two henchmen. Cyber Peacock and Split Mushroom were ready, but none the less, no match for the more skilled Hunter.   
  
With Split and Cyber immobilized, Zero turned his attention to Sigma.   
  
"Looks like it's just you and me again sweetheart." Zero challenged. "Let's dance."   
  
"Lets." Sigma said confidently. Out of nowhere, two clamps hooked onto Zero's legs, and a burst of energy exploded from them.   
  
Zero let out an agonized cry and fell to his knees. He tried to push himself from off of the ground, but two more clamps dug into his shoulders. The shock of being hit and the electricity pushed Zero flat on his back. As Zero struggled to get Sigma the electricity intensified, causing Zero to scream out.   
  
"Good shot Vile." Sigma said. Vile stood on the other side of Zero, a grin on his face and a large weapon in his hand.   
  
"Try to stay put, Zero." Vile warned. "The more you move, the more pain you're going to get."   
  
"Sigma!" Zero growled as he turned over to his stomach. "I'll get you yet." Zero pushed himself up halfway to his knees. "Arruhhh, you .... Wretched..."   
  
"Don't worry, Zero." Sigma chided. "We'll make sure you become your old self again. That's how it was meant to be."   
  
Zero's circuits were going haywire. The electricity was eating away at his sensors like piranhas. The harder he tried to move, the worse the pain became. Everything was beginning to get fuzzy, as his processing unit began to burn out. His arms and legs finally gave and he fell to the ground with a thud.   
  
The features of the room started to blend with each other, until all was darkness. Zero's eyes lost the light of consciousness and turned hazy green as the last of his systems shut down.   
  
"Take him to the lab, Vile." Sigma ordered. "And get the virus ready. He'll be one of us, the easy way, or the hard way."   
  


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	7. Chapter 7

Megaman Fan Works: Fan Fiction 

**Chapter 7**  
To Chapter [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

* * *

The team of Maverick hunters headed for the location of the missing motorcycle. "Zero must have taken it." Protoman said. "We tracked the bike... we'll find Zero."   
  
"We're here." Amp announced as the troop of trucks stopped. X and the others quickly got out of the vehicle. There was nothing special about the structure, but it was clear where they were.   
  
"Maverick Fortress." X stood still for a moment and stared up at the building.   
  
"Looks like we hit the jackpot, X." Protoman commented. "And here comes the welcoming wagon."   
  
A line of Mavericks emerged from the surrounding bushes and fired a storm of lasers at the hunters.   
  
"X." Protoman said as everyone took cover behind the cars. "You go in and find Zero, while we draw their fire. Take Amp with you." X was about to leave when Protoman stopped him for one last word. "X, if Zero is Maverick, you know what to do."   
  
X solemnly nodded and dashed to the side of the Maverick Fortress, with Amp following close behind. X found a small window and peered in.   
  
"Sensors show that there's no one inside. And it's some kind of laboratory." Amp said.   
  
"I can't believe it's not guarded." X said suspiciously. "But it's the only way in. Let's go." X opened the window and climbed inside. X had a feeling that something was wrong... there is no way Sigma would let the two of them in this easily.   
  
"Hello, X." A dark voice greeted them. Amp and X turned to see Sigma and the usual Maverick group not far behind. "I can't say it's nice to see you again."   
  
"Where is Zero?" X demanded.   
  
"Zero, why don't you come out and say hello to your ex-friends." Zero slowly walked out from the shadows, head bowed and eyes closed.   
  
"It's Zero!" Amp gasped.   
  
"Say hello to X and his little friend, would you Zero?" Sigma politely asked. "And then say goodbye."   
  
Zero opened his eyes and at that moment, X knew that Zero was okay. "That look in his eyes." X thought. Zero gave him the usual supportive look that is Zero's signature. That same cocky "I'll take care of things" look.   
  
Zero leaped out, Z-Saber drawn and posed to strike X down, but at the last second, he flung a smoke bomb at Sigma and crew.   
  
"Out! Quick!" Zero barked. And crashed through the window. X and Amp followed, slightly confused.   
  
"Zero," X said as they ran together, "You are okay, right?"   
  
"Of course I am, X." Zero replied. "I tricked Sigma into thinking I was on their side, so I could find out about their next move." Zero laughed. "Did you see that look on Sigma's face when I threw that smoke bomb at them? Things like that keeps me warm on cold nights. Pure hilarity."   
  
***********************************************************   
  
Even after the smoke cleared, one could see that something was still burning at Maverick Fortress.   
  
"VILE!" Sigma screamed. "Kindly tell me what just happened here."   
  
"I," Vile stammered, "I have no idea, sir. I was sure we infected Zero with the Maverick Virus. He couldn't have gotten around it!"   
  
"Well, then give me a rational explanation of what happened other than Zero getting around the virus."   
  
"Heh, heh, heh." Cyber Peacock snickered on the side. "Finally, some else gets yelled at."   
  
"I want to find out what the hell went wrong." Sigma said as he pounded on the wall. "Or it's going to be one of you who ends up at the junk yard, got it?"   
  
Everyone present swallowed hard.   
  
"Now, devise some way to get Zero back. If SOMEONE--." Sigma glared at Vile. " --Doesn't screw up again, we might have a chance to get Zero back."   
  
***********************************************************   
  
"Zero!" Dr. Cain exclaimed. "You're back."   
  
"Yep." Zero said. " I also found out about Sigma's next target."   
  
"But Zero," Dr. Cain interrupted, "I have contacted the other scientists and it seems that you were once a Maverick."   
  
Protoman and X both studied Zero's every move. Protoman, of course, got ready for a sudden attack by Zero, while X waited for the Red Hunter to say something reassuring to clear any doubts.   
  
"That was a long time ago." Zero said. "Take Sigma, he was a Hunter. Well now he is a Maverick. It's the same with me, only the other way around."   
  
"It's good to hear that you're back Zero." X said. "You got us all worried there."   
  
"Had to do that, X, or else Sigma wouldn't have been dumb enough to invite me in."   
  
"Zero," Protoman inquired, "Just what did they do to you while you were there?"   
  
"Protoman!" X said. "We've all had a long day, let's just go to bed and devise a plan to stop Sigma tomorrow."   
  
"I agree." Dr. Cain said. "I'm beat. And you three probably need a visit to the recharging bay. After the skirmish with Sigma, you've probably used up your energy reserve."   
  
Protoman relented. "Let's go." X, Protoman and Zero exited Cain's lab and headed for the elevators.   
  
"I'm going to bed first." X announced. "I'll just recharge tomorrow. I'll see you guys in the morning." X said as he took off for his quarters.   
  
"Good night." Protoman and Zero said simultaneously. During the elevator ride, neither reploid said a thing. At the recharging bay, things were no different. The only thing that could be heard was the clanking of equipment as each setup their recharge booths.   
  
Protoman kept his eyes on the other reploid, with a sense of distrust. Any big movement by Zero would catch Protoman's full attention. Despite what X or Dr. Cain said, Protoman still didn't trust Zero.   
  
Protoman's recharging finished before Zero's. He got up from the booth and stared at Zero again. The other reploid had his eyes closed as he recharged. Protoman walked over to Zero's recharge booth, just as the latter opened his eyes.   
  
"Protoman?"   
  
"You know, Zero." Protoman said. "I didn't trust you when you first started acting strangely. After the entire fiasco with Sigma and you being a Maverick, I trust you even less."   
  
"Ex-Maverick. I'm a Hunter now."   
  
"Hard to tell which side you're on, pal. With you running off to the enemy fortress, wrecking your room and everything."   
  
"Protoman, what's your problem?" Zero started to get annoyed.   
  
"The problem is that I wouldn't trust you to go get a cup of coffee, but I have to trust you with my brother's life. But hear this: You hurt my brother or any of the other Hunters in any way, I will have personally hunt you down and dismantle you piece by piece." Protoman gave Zero one last hard look before leaving the recharge room.   
  


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	8. Chapter 8

Megaman Fan Works: Fan Fiction 

**Chapter 8**  
To Chapter [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

* * *

X woke up to the sound of the emergency alarm blaring in his room. The alarm called for all Hunters to report to battle stations. X took another moment to fully wake up and hopped out of his bed.   
  
"The Mavericks must be attacking again!" X said to himself. Suddenly, the alarm stopped and a pleasant voice over the intercom announced it was time for lunch.   
  
"Lunch?" X looked at the clock. "It's seven a.m."   
  
The voice on the intercom was gone, replaced by hissing static. Just when things seemed most hectic, the sprinkler system came to life.   
  
"What?" X quickly covered his head from the shower and ran over to the intercom system on the wall. "X to Dr. Cain. What's going on?"   
  
"X, the computer system has gone haywire. Every computerized thing in the building is out of control. X, you must-." A message suddenly cut off Dr. Cain's voice: "If you would like to make a call, please hang up and try again."   
  
"Dr. Cain? Dr. Cain!" X yelled into the intercom, but an ear piercing beep emitted from the speaker causing X to pull himself backwards. He promptly shut off the device and tried to collect his thoughts.   
  
"Something must be wrong with the main computer." X dashed out of the door. "I've got to get to the control room." On the way, X saw that everyone else was confused by the hectic state of the building. Some thought that HQ was under attack, while others wandered around in the halls asking about lunch.   
  
X found the computer control room. The first thing he saw was that the computer was wrecked and flashing non-sense. Someone trashed the interface also.   
  
"X..." Someone called weakly. X looked down and saw Amp, lying on the ground, with a large slash mark on his chest armor. "X... virus in the ...main computer...and ..wrecked the interface."   
  
"Amp, get a hold of yourself. Who was it? Amp!"   
  
"Zero, it was Zero." Amp managed to say. Then the smaller reploid gasped as his eyes widened.   
  
"X, LOOK OUT!"   
  
X whipped his head around just in time to see a pair of crimson red eyes glaring back at him. Before he could move, the attacker sent a fist onto X's face.   
  
"X!" The Blue Hunter heard Amp scream before everything faded away.   
  
***********************************************************   
  
"Nothing is making sense." Dr. Cain said as he madly jabbed at the keyboard. "These controls are not responding."   
  
"Doctor," Protoman walked into the lab. "What's happening?"   
  
"Something is hideously wrong with the systems computer, and these controls aren't working. I have to get down there and see myself."   
  
"Do.. . Don't bother." Protoman and Dr. Cain both turned to see Amp leaning against the doorway, with a huge wound on his chest. "It's wrecked. Zero infected the central computer with a virus and destroyed the interface."   
  
"I knew it!" Protoman screamed. "I should have taken care of him when I had the chance."   
  
"X. Zero has X."   
  
"What?" Dr. Cain shouted.   
  
"There's only one place he'd take X, Dr. Cain." Protoman said as he narrowed his eyes. "The Maverick Fortress."   
  
***********************************************************   
  
Zero casually walked into the Maverick Fortress. The Maverick guards in the hallways were too shocked by his boldness (or too scared to fight him) to make a move against the Red Reploid. Zero continued down the hall towards the main conference room of the fortress.   
  
"Here's the plan." Cyber Peacock announced to the other Mavericks. "We get the bomb into the... WHAT THE ?!" Zero barged into the conference room just as Cyber Peacock was in the middle of the speech. By first instinct, everyone pointed their weapons at Zero, who gave them a relaxed smile.   
  
"Hey," Zero said, "Is that any way to greet your allies?"   
  
"Zero," Sigma said, "You're back. Care to explain why we shouldn't blow you away right now?"   
  
"Because I come bearing gifts." Zero tossed the limp body of Mega Man X onto the table. Also, by first instinct, most of the Mavericks (except Sigma) gasped and stepped backwards. After they realized that X was unconscious, they let their guards down.   
  
"I'm still confused." Sigma said. "Care to enlighten me?"   
  
"I've been on your side since the first time I left, you dope."   
  
"My, don't tell me you pretended to be a Hunter just to go back to Maverick Hunter HQ to bring me X? I'm touched."   
  
"Well, that and wreaking a little havoc on the HQ's main computer. Couldn't make an exit without style."   
  
"There's hope for you yet, Zero." Sigma grinned. "You're more devious than you let on. Now...what do we do with goody two shoes here?"   
  
***********************************************************   
  
It was cold.   
  
X felt that his entire body was cold. He moved his hand around to feel the ground, but there was nothing to grab onto. Upon opening his eyes, he saw that he was lying on steel. Slowly X pushed himself off of the ground, and shook his head. His face was sore...sore from someone hitting him.   
  
ZERO!   
  
X glanced around him and saw Sigma, Vile, Cyber Peacock, Split Mushroom and several other Mavericks with their eyes trained on him. They sat behind a glass shield, as if they were an audience. To what?   
  
Footsteps moved towards him. X knew exactly who it was.   
  
"So you're up." Zero commented. "Are you ready to fight?"   
  
"Fight?" X turned to Zero. "Why?   
  
"Stop asking ridiculous questions, X. Get up and fight."   
  
X stood up, but did not make another move. "I made Zero promise me that if I ever became a Maverick, he would take care of me." X thought. "Now Zero is the Maverick, so I have to kill him." X raised his X-Buster. "There is no other way."   
  
"Get ready Zero." X shouted as he fired off several charged shots at Zero, who easily leaped out of the way. Zero dashed to the left side of X and brought his Z-Saber towards X's neck. X struggled to block Zero's arm and took this time to execute a low kick to trip Zero.   
  
"This is perfect." Sigma laughed as the two continued to battle. "I knew it was too good of a chance to pass up, seeing Zero destroy X. The betrayed look in X's face itself is worth the trouble."   
  
The two continued to exchange blows, with neither one of them winning. X and Zero has always trained together, so each can predict the other's move. Zero would make an attack and X would counter with another.   
  
"This is boring." Cyber Peacock commented. "No one is getting hurt. Are they just dancing or something?"   
  
"Hey, Zero!" Vile cheered on. "Make it snappy, okay?"   
  
X felt Zero's attacks increasing in speed. X returned the favor by blasting at him more often.   
  
"I've got to trick him." X thought. " We can't keep this up forever." He raised his buster at an angle towards Zero and fired. Zero jumped back, then realized that the shot wasn't supposed to hit him. Large pieces of the ceiling started to crumble. Zero screamed as the pieces of rocks buried him. After the dust settled, X went over and leveled his X-Buster at the wreckage. Zero brushed the rubble from his body and saw that X has won.   
  
Everyone held their breaths as X charged up his buster. Then to Zero's surprise, X lowered his arm and deactivated the buster.   
  
"I was stupid." X said sadly. "I made you promise to kill me if I ever became a Maverick, but now I can't do it to you. I can't move myself to kill you, Zero, because you're my friend."   
  
Zero studied X, who lowered his head to avoid eye contact. "Wait a minute." Zero thought. "I shouldn't fight X, because-" Zero's eyes suddenly flash crimson red as all thoughts of compassion vanished. Zero launched himself at the unarmed X and sent him crashing to the wall.   
  
"You're a fool, X." Zero said. "Should have done it when you had the chance." Zero punched X again, knocking the wind out of him. "You're too much of a coward to be a Hunter anyway." Zero punched X again, and the Blue Hunter doubled over. No matter how many times Zero hit him X refused to retaliate. X was the reploid punching bag to Zero's punishment.   
  
"Allow me to finish off your miserable career." Zero grabbed X's neck with his left and raised him off the round. X gasped for breath as Zero's grip tightened. Zero raised his Z-Saber to finish him off, but X raised his head.   
  
"I'm sorry, Zero." X looked at Zero with a tearful face. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you... even though..." X struggled to talk, "you've saved me so many times."   
  
Zero stopped and tried to think about what X just said. He looked at X's grimacing face and remembered seeing X look that way before...."X looked like that, when he first lost to Vile.... X was disheartened because he felt too weak to be of any help..."   
  
----------   
  
"It's no use." Zero recalled X saying. "I'm no match for Vile. I'm too weak to do anything."   
  
"Don't worry about it, X." Zero had reassured the battered Mega Man X. "Vile was built as a war machine. If you had all the capabilities you were designed for, you would be more powerful, maybe even as powerful as me."   
  
----------   
  
"X did become more powerful." Zero thought to himself. "But he wasn't strong enough for Vile and his invincible ride armor. That's why I had to save him back then...That's why I had to sacrifice myself."   
  
"Save...him..." X heard Zero say softly. Zero's eyes changed from crimson red back to green. Tears started to well up in those eyes. This was the first time X saw the Red Hunter cry. Even at his own death, Zero did not shed a tear. He was always too proud, or too strong....too scared to cry.   
  
Zero gave X that same look again and smiled. X felt the grip around his neck disappear as he fell to the ground. He could hear the sound of metal meeting Z-Saber. When he looked up, X saw Zero slashing away at the Mavericks.   
  
"Let's get out of here!" Cyber Peacock squeaked as the Mavericks made a quick exit. Sigma refused to move.   
  
"Master Sigma!" Vile shouted. "We have to go. Zero is, is... possessed! He'll kill us all! We have to go."   
  
Sigma grunted, but relented and escaped with the others. As the Mavericks made their exit, Zero glanced back at X, who was just getting up from the ground.   
  
"Up for another party?" Zero asked.   
  
"You bet." X choked.   
  
Zero slung X's arm over his shoulder and helped X off the ground. It was only then that Zero noticed something was on his face. "Tears?!" He thought to himself. X started to laugh, but ended up coughing some more.   
  
"What?" Zero said defensively as he turned away.   
  
"Nothing, Zero." X smiled.   
  
***********************************************************   
  
Dr. Cain managed to get rid of the last bit of the Maverick virus from Zero with the Original Doppler Anti-Virus. Sigma and the other Mavericks were in hiding, so they never carried out their plans to blow up the Phoenix Center. Amp, Zero and X were all repaired, good as new. As for Protoman...   
  
"You know," Protoman said as he threw a punch at Zero, "Even though Dr. Cain says you're okay, I still don't trust you."   
  
"Really?" Zero said as he slashed his Z-Saber at Protoman. "That's unfortunate to hear. I'm really heartbroken about it."   
  
"You'd better watch yourself, Zero." Protoman warned as he fired a shot at Zero. "The first sign of any Maverickness, I'll take care of you myself."   
  
Protoman ducked as Zero swiped his Z-Saber at his head. Zero then tripped the Scarfed Hunter, causing him to land with a thud. Zero leaped to the end of the practice hall, and beamed proudly.   
  
"Keep practicing, Proto." Zero chided.   
  
"You too, Zero." Protoman pointed to the red paint on Zero's arm. "Gotcha."   
  
"Want to try that again, Shades Boy?" Zero challenged.   
  
"You got it, Pony Tail Head." Protoman and Zero promptly began fighting again.   
  
X grinned as he watched the two Hunters battle, and every now and then, insult each other. Sure they talked tough, but they're okay with each other. Now X has two to count on whenever trouble comes knocking.   
  
"X," Dr. Cain called on the intercom, "Your assistance is required in the metropolitan area. Please respond."   
  
"On my way." X replied. "Hey!" He called out to the two reploids who were entangled in a wrestling match. "We're off."   
  
"You sure you can handle this, blondie?" Protoman teased as he followed X out the door.   
  
"Don't worry about me." Zero responded as he too got up. "I can fare better than any reploid who wears a scarf."   
  
"Hey, this isn't just any scarf."   
  
"You should talk. That yellow with gray?"   
  
"Eh, go get a hair cut."   
  
The three Hunters dashed into action.   
  
End ^_^ [If you like the story, or just want to E-mail the author (Hey, I NEED an ego boost!) send them to: cloudnomiko@hotmail.com THANKS]  
  


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